~ Day by day with RA …

A 2.5 Carat Accident

I love my wedding ring. In the almost 15 years that I’ve been married, I’ve had the center stone reset into new mountings a couple of times, but a few years ago I settled on a very classic setting with the stone in the center flanked by double rows of baguette on either side. It’s a very tailored style that accents the diamond and fits my hand well.

Even though my husband and I are now moderately comfortable, when we we first got married, we had less than no money, and there wasn’t much to spend on a wedding or wedding rings. However, my husband had a gorgeous 2.5 carat diamond that had belonged to his father who passed away shortly before we were married. I was thrilled to have it set in a wedding ring — not only because of its beauty, but also because of the significance of it having belonged to my husband’s late father.

Last Sunday, when I was getting dressed and putting on my jewelry, the ring slipped out of my hand and hit the hard tile floor in the bathroom. It bounced once, then landed upright on its shank, twirling like a glittering gyroscope until I was able to grab it.

The only thing I can think is that the ring hit right on the edge of the diamond where there must have been some microscopic imperfection because the diamond now has a deep fracture extending completely across the stone with flurries of fissures extending out from there. I think the only thing that is keeping the diamond from just breaking completely into two pieces is that it’s still in the setting.

I can’t tell you how that moment of horror felt when I first realized what happened. I’m still heartsick. My husband, being a pragmatist, is much less emotional about it. He pointed out that it wasn’t a car accident where I could have been hurt — it was “just” a dropped piece of jewelry.

Since that time, I’ve been in touch with the insurance company and we’re in the process of getting estimates to replace the stone and repair any other damage that might have occurred. It’s not the same, but I have to be grateful that I’ve kept insurance on the ring all this time.

The insurance company wants the broken stone returned to them for “salvage” value. I guess even diamond dust is worth something. I’m not much of a sentimentalist, but I’m sad to think that the stone might be broken into chips and resold.

I hope whatever accidents might befall you are minor and are easily resolved with a laugh and a kiss. Thanks for checking in.